บท 44: Back in Hogwarts

Lost in thought, I gazed out the train window at the passing countryside, a patchwork of green fields and quaint villages blanketed in a light dusting of snow. The soft chatter of my friends filled the compartment, punctuated by the occasional explosive snap of Exploding Snap cards and the crinkling of sweets wrappers.

"Felix, FELIX! It's your turn to play," Benjamin Rivers' voice cut through my reverie, dragging my attention back to the present.

I glanced down at the cards in my hand, their faces blurring together as my mind struggled to focus. "I fold," I muttered, tossing them onto the pile of trunks and bags serving as our makeshift table.

Penelope, ever the observant one, studied me with a concerned frown. "You okay, Felix?" she asked, folding her own cards, which were arguably even worse than mine.

"Just been thinking, is all," I replied with a noncommittal shrug, my gaze drifting back to the window.

"Ha, tell us something new," Adrian quipped, craning his neck to peek at Bell's cards. She shot him a playful glare and angled them away from his prying eyes.

"Shut up, you line-eyed freak!" Jarvey snapped from his perch atop my head, his fur bristling with indignation.

"Don't be racist," I chided, reaching up to give him a light swat.

Charlotte, who had taken on the role of dealer, slid a new card to the center of the table. "Seriously though, what's on your mind?" she pressed, her warm brown eyes filled with genuine concern.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair and nearly dislodging a disgruntled Jarvey in the process. "Just feeling like I have loads to do, you know? But enough about me, what did you lot get up to over Christmas?"

As they launched into animated tales of family gatherings, heartfelt gifts, and one particularly memorable incident involving a garden gnome and a plum pudding, I allowed my mind to wander once more, their voices fading into a comforting background hum.

An ever-growing to-do list unfurled in my head, each task jostling for priority:

✶ Grabbing some DNA from Dumbledore

✶ Stealing the Sorting Hat

✶ Figuring out new ways to use my 'I Cast Magic'

✶ Finishing my own Hogwarts Map

✶ How do seer vision work

✶ Learning Illusion Magic

✶ Learning more on Healing Magic

✶ Finding ways to fix, deafness and blindness for an unlimited amount of time. of

✶ Learning more on Ancient Runes

✶ Installing Jarvey Radios across Hogwarts

✶ Steal the Ravenclaw Doorknocker

✶ What combination of charms bring about sentience

✶ Getting good scores on my exams

✶ Dueling with Professor Flitwick (try to open the dueling club once more)

The sheer volume of it all made me want to yank at my hair in frustration. Seriously I really wanted some Felix Felicis to make it all easier, luck would go a long way.

I had tried to brew it myself but the recipe had never been clear on how much powdered common rue you had to add so either I went over or under the required amount, I was close to having it figured out but I soon wasted all the batches I had had for the potion and some of the ingredients could only be harvested in a very specific time of the year, so yeah turns out I wasn't as great on potions as I liked to think, especially since the only time magic was used was when you moved your wand over it.

That part I had it down to a T since it was just making your magic the rim of the cauldron you were using.

I glanced around the compartment, taking in the smiling faces of my friends, their laughter ringing out as they swapped stories and jokes, their voices and actions were like background noise to me, not that I would forget because you know my mind recorded everything down, still it felt weird to do so.

Resolving to be more present, I forced a grin and leaned forward, interjecting with a humorous anecdote about Jarvey's antics over the holidays.

"I'm going to sleep, don't touch Jarvey or he'll get cranky when I wake up."

"I'm not cranky."

"I said will as in future tense, now be quiet."

I waved my hand, putting a silencing charm on him, it was more fun each time I did it. With that final magic I closed my eyes, picturing the book at the back of my mind and closed it, my mind going to sleep along with it, a neat little trick I had learnt during the Christmas Break.

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I woke to the train's screeching halt, yawning and stretching as the world jolted back into focus. "That was lucky," I muttered, rubbing my eyes as the others scrambled to gather their belongings.

"Come on sleepyhead, time to get off the train," Bell signed with a grin, helping me to my feet.

"Thanks," I mouthed back, too groggy to bother signing properly. She responded with an exaggerated OK sign, her fingers forming a perfect circle as she ushered me toward the exit.

We made our way to the carriages, the crisp evening air invigorating after the stuffy confines of the train.

Hagrid's towering form loomed near the front of the group, his lantern casting golden light over the cobblestones. I lingered at the back, too tired to engage, and followed the flow of students as we made our way toward the carriages. Jarvey was still snoozing on my head, his claws gripping my hair for balance even in sleep.

The carriages waited ahead, pulled by creatures only a few of us could see. I approached one of the Thestrals, its leathery black skin cooler than ever, it's bat-like wings surrounding it like a blanket. Scratching its neck, I felt the creature stretch under my touch, its eerie neigh low yet comforting in some way.

The others stared at me, confused—scratching the air, to them, must have looked peculiar. I ignored their curious glances and climbed into the carriage, signing lazily to Bell before closing my eyes again.

"Wake me up when we get to the boats. Thanks."

She saluted at me which I took as a yes before pressing my head against the window.

The journey passed in a comfortable haze of on-and-off napping until we reached the towering steps of Hogwarts. The castle loomed above us, its familiar warmth beckoning despite the cold wind biting at our cheeks. The massive oak doors creaked open as we approached, revealing the welcoming glow of the Great Hall.

"Well, time to go in!" Hagrid called out. "Your food's gettin' cold, so get a move on!"

We entered the Great Hall, everyone went to their tables, some of which already had the students who had stayed in Hogwarts over the break, Dumbledore performed a short welcome back speech before drinking from his goblet. The temptation to nick it for my Polyjuice experiments was strong, but I quickly determined that attempting such a feat under the watchful eyes of the entire school might raise a few eyebrows.

Soon enough, we were tucking into the hearty feast, the clinking of cutlery and the buzz of excited conversation filling the air. I caught Drake's eye from across the hall, exchanging a quick grin and a nod before turning my attention back to my housemates, letting the familiarity of it all soothe my restless mind.

The feast ended quickly enough and I made a beeline to the Ravenclaw Dorms, someone thankfully answered the riddle, before I walked over to my own dorm's door.

"Alohomora," I whispered. The lock clicked, and the door swung open. I stepped inside, waving my wand again. "Colloportus." The satisfying snick of the lock sliding into place echoed in the quiet room.

Crossing to my desk, I tried to open the top drawer. It wouldn't budge. Smiling to myself, I placed my hand over the handle and whispered the password.

"I am One with Words."

Pretentious, yes, but it felt right, so shut up. The lock clicked open, revealing the neatly folded parchment within.

This was going to be my Marauder's Map, I only had to put on the reading charm, make it read the magic from the passageways and dorm doors. I grabbed the Marauder's Map from my bag and placed it inside with my other map, before sealing it shut with the charm.

Even if someone managed to break into my room, the map would be safe, when I thought of this two redheads, appeared in my mind, they had stayed behind in the Christmas Break and from the stink eye they were giving me, it was most likely that they had tried to break in just to see if I had left the map here during Christmas.

At the thought of it all, it made me smile. I really should cast tungsten ballsack on them tomorrow.

"Welp, time for bed," I muttered to no one in particular. "These are gonna be some long days."

I collapsed onto the mattress, not bothering to change out of my robes. Jarvey curled up beside me, his soft fur tickling my cheek as I closed my eyes once more, I pictured the book in my mind and closed yet just as I did so my eyes looked to the window at my side, where a star was shining weirdly bright.

"Another thing to the list."

✶ Why is there a star always shining brighter than the rest

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